Seniors who have a smaller family support network are less likely to get cataract surgery. And adult children have more influence over an older person’s decision to have cataract surgery than friends, spouses or partners.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more common for screening, diagnosing and helping treat eye conditions. The technology already is used in online search engines, speech recognition tools and other smart devices. Now, AI is showing promise in healthcare.

Blue light from electronic screens is not making you blind. A recently released study has been creating both concern in the public and alarmist headlines from news outlets worldwide. But experts are cautioning that the news reports are leaping to unfounded conclusions about…

A boy from Greece lost much of the vision in one eye after looking directly at the light from a laser pointer several times, according to a report published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine. Unfortunately, this kind of injury is all too common.

If a laser with less than five milliwatts of output power is directed at someone's eye, that person can blink or turn away without suffering an eye injury. However, the natural protective mechanisms of the eye – such as the blink reflex – are ineffective against lasers with…

In a small but intriguing study, scientists in England have given blind patients some functional vision, using human embryonic stem cells. Two blind patients regained enough sight to read again after getting stem cell implants in their damaged eyes.

News reports have been circulating about an unusual number of ocular melanoma cases centered around Huntersville, N.C., and Auburn, Ala. But it’s not yet clear if there really is any connection between these cases.

In a first, scientists in China have created artificial photoreceptors to help blind mice see. We still don't have a full artificial eye. But we're edging closer, thanks to a wave of new technologies aiming to fix failing eye parts with human-made versions.

Do you know what the difference is between ophthalmologists and optometrists? A medical degree and many more years of training, for starters. A recent article from U.S. News and World Report explains what ophthalmologists are and how they can help you look after your vision…

A woman in Portugal temporarily stumped her doctors with a ghostly white ring that appeared on her cornea. Eventually, doctors identified the cause: a rare inflammatory condition called Cogan’s syndrome.

The biggest eye health stories of 2017 ran from low-tech to high-tech and from super cool to super gross. New treatment possibilities were a feel-good favorite. But perennial eye dangers – and new threats – got the most attention.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved sales of a gene therapy treatment for an inherited condition that can cause blindness. This is the first gene therapy treatment for an inherited eye disease that has been approved in the United States.

The U.S. FDA has recommended approving a treatment for certain inherited retinal diseases caused by a mutation in the RPE65 gene, like Leber congenital amaurosis and some forms of retinitis pigmentosa.

At least two people suffered eye damage as a result of unsafe viewing of the recent total solar eclipse. The damage inflicted on the patients’ retinas appears as a crescent shape that mirrors the eclipse itself.

A promising treatment for childhood near-sightedness (myopia) is welcome news at a time when more and more kids are being diagnosed with the condition. Studies show that a low-dose of atropine, typically given as eye drops at bedtime, can significantly slow the progression o…

As doctors prepped a 67-year-old woman for cataract surgery, they made a shocking discovery – 17 contact lenses stuck together. Then they found 10 more. It’s unclear how long the lenses were in her eye, but she had worn monthly disposable lenses for 35 years, according the m…

A 24-year-old man underwent an eyeball tattoo procedure and experienced a sudden, painful loss of vision while the tattoo artist was injecting ink into the first eye. The patient sought treatment three days after the tattoo procedure. Eventually, the entire eye had to be rem…

Between 2012 and 2015, more than 1,200 3- and 4-year-olds in the United States had chemical burns to the eye from laundry detergent packets. The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Medical Association have teamed up to help. The Academy and the AMA are asking…

For people who are unable to have LASIK or similar laser vision correction surgery to treat their nearsightedness, there is another option: implanting an intraocular lens. A recent study found the Phakic intraocular lens (IOL) has been found safe and effective after five yea…

You're very unlikely to catch herpes from sharing a virtual reality (VR) headset. However, you could get pink eye as easily from VR glasses as you can from a doorknob, railing or handshake - if you touch your face after handling a contaminated headset.

Keratoconus treatment options are limited and can be risky. Also, people with keratoconus cannot wear contact lenses for an extended time. Researchers in The Netherlands decided to address these issues.

According to a study, one out of every 10 people in the U.S. are at increased risk of developing serious eye disease, yet most of them are not getting the annual, sight-saving eye exams they need to preserve their vision.

A new portable device that attaches to glasses and can recognize print, money, products and faces may help people with low vision, a new study suggests. The device, called OrCam, uses a miniature camera that deciphers text and “reads” it to a person through an earpiece.

Vision impairment is a major public health issue all over the globe. Preventing and treating vision loss are some of the most cost-effective interventions in healthcare. Eight out of 10 people worldwide who live with vision loss could have saved their sight through available…